...
At the same time racial tension is strife as the blacks start to appear in the Bronx. To add to matters, Calogero falls for a black girl, Jane (Taral Hicks), who rides on his father's bus, which was not allowed on the Bronx. He seeks advice from his dad, who is totally against it but when ... Read review
Academy Award winner Robert De Niro (Raging Bull, Taxi Driver) and Chazz Palminteri ... more
(Bullets Over Broadway, The Usual Suspects) star in a riveting drama about two men battling for a young man's life.Calogero Anello is a streetwise nine-year old who liv...
In his directorial debut two-time Academy Award-Winner Robert De Niro stars as Lorenzo ... more
Anello a hard-working bus driver who must stand up to the local mob boss if he is to keep his son from falling into a life of crime. The streets of the Bronx are...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Advantages: 60s music and De Niro Disadvantages: Lack of features
...dad, Lorenzo (Robert De Niro), a hard working, honest bus driver. His father tries to instil into him the hard working ethic and to stay away from the bar where the wise guys hang out.
One day he witnesses a shooting outside the apartment and is forced by the cops to identify the killer. Does he rat on Sonny the mob boss, or does he lie and save him? Well, he lies, and in doing so is taken under Sonny's wing, much to the disappointment ... ...for him as he is a good boy at heart.
At the same time racial tension is strife as the blacks start to appear in the Bronx. To add to matters, Calogero falls for a black girl, Jane (Taral Hicks), who rides on his father's bus, which was not allowed on the Bronx. He seeks advice from his dad, who is totally against it but when he turns to Sonny, he has no objections and gives him advice on whether she would be worth it. He takes Sonny's ... more
The Storyline -----------------
The film starts of in the Bronx, some time in the 60's. Young Calogero, (Francis Capra), idolizes the wise guys who stand on the street corners with their smart clothes and fancy motors, especially the boss, Sonny (Chazz Palminteri), but he also loves and respects his dad, Lorenzo (Robert De Niro), a hard working, honest bus driver. His father tries to instil into him the hard working ethic and to stay away from the bar where the wise guys hang out.
One day he witnesses a shooting outside the apartment and is forced by the cops to identify the killer. Does he rat on Sonny the mob boss, or does he lie and save him? Well, he lies, and in doing so is taken under Sonny's wing, much to the disappointment of his father. From this point on Calogero has 2 fathers, both teaching him different aspects of life in the Bronx.
We then jump forward eight years and Calogero, (Lillo Brancato), is now 17. He's now well respected in his neighbourhood and is treated as Sonny's son; he hangs out with his friends who all want to be wise guys. Sonny see's what is happening and tries to make him understand that the wise guy life is not for him as he is a good boy at heart.
At the same time racial tension is strife as the blacks start to appear in the Bronx. To add to matters, Calogero falls for a black girl, Jane (Taral Hicks), who rides on his father's bus, which was not allowed on the Bronx. He seeks advice from his dad, who is totally against it but when he turns to Sonny, he has no objections and gives him advice on whether she would be worth it. He takes Sonny's advice but the romance doesn't run smooth as trouble breaks out between the young Italians and blacks.
When an accident nearly kills Sonny, he blames Calogero and at this point he realises that he cannot be trusted. As he struggles with this fact, his wise guy friends take him on a trip into the black neighbourhood to start trouble.
And at that point I will leave it, so that I don't spoil the ending. What you have to think about is does he listen to the advice of his father or Sonny, or does he go along with his friends. You will have to watch the film to find out.
Although this film is not based on a true story, it is inspired by a true story. Chazz Palminteri witnessed a shooting as a kid whilst sitting on his door step in the Bronx. Palminteri originally wrote a 5 minute monologue about the events, but this turned into a full fledged piece which he performed on the stage.
The Cast ------------
This film is very well casted, from Robert De Niro as the father, to Lillo Brancato as his 17 year old son, the resemblance is quite spooky. Chazz Palmiteri is compelling as Sonny, you really start to like him as he teaches Calogero the ways of the street. Some ot the other major roles were filled with natives from the Bronx.
Robert De Niro .... Lorenzo Anello Chazz Palminteri .... Sonny Lillo Brancato .... Calogero 'C' Anello (age 17) Francis Capra .... Calogero 'C' Anello (age 9) Taral Hicks .... Jane Williams Kathrine Narducci .... Rosina Anello Clem Caserta .... Jimmy Whispers Alfred Sauchelli Jr. .... Bobby Bars Frank Pietrangolare .... Danny K.O Joe Pesci .... Carmine
As well as starring in this film, Robert De Niro made his directional debut with this film as well as produced it.
Technical Details ----------------------
Certificate: 18 Length: 117 mins No. of DVDs: 1. Ration 4:3
Packaging -------------
Comes in a standard DVD case, with a booklet giving detailed information on the film.
Bonus Material -------------------
You get the usual scene selection which consists of 18 different scenes; all with individual titles.
There is no choice of language and you only have the choice of switching subtitles on or off.
The first feature is the theatrical trailer which gives you a very good idea of what this film is about.
The next feature is a gallery of stills from the film, to be honest this is very disappointing and seems to have been included only to try and bulk out the features.
Finally you get filmographies for De Niro and Palminteri, interesting fact is that Palminteri's full name is Calogero Lorenzo Palminteri. Again, I feel that this has only been included to try and bulk out the features.
The Message & Christian View Point ------------------------------------------------
To me this film is all about choices as you grow up. Do you listen to the advice from your parents or do you listen to the people you want to be. It's a good question, for Calogero it was a bit of both, but that may not always be the case. When it boils down to it, you have to make your own choices and the only way to do that is to listen to all the advice you can get, some will be bad and some will be good, and then go with what you deem is best.
This is another film that deals with racial prejudice issues, and again illustrates that no matter what colour we are, we are all created equal.
Although there is a strong amount of violence in this film, it does demonstrate that violence does not achieve anything and quite often will only cause more violence.
Conclusion & Rating ---------------------------
When you compare A Bronx Tale to other mob films, such as Goodfellas and the Godfather, it never quite matches the power demonstrated in them. Whether this is down to it being the directional debut of De Niro, or budget limitations I cannot say. What I can say is that it is a very good film, which demonstrates life in the Bronx in the 60s more than adequately, with very good performances and excellent street scenes. The soundtrack is typical American Crooners of the period such as Sinatra, mixed in with Motown from the period. There is also excellent use of the doo wop groups to add to this good soundtrack. Too think that this film is actually based on memories of one of the main actors makes this film even more interesting to watch.
I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of movies which either have a 60s feel to them or our interested in the American Italian mob culture. My only downer on the DVD is the lack of worthwhile features, hopefully in the future they may revisit this and add more special features of substance to it.
You can buy A Bronx Tale from Amazon for the bargain price of £5.97 which does make the lack of features more acceptable.
Advantages: Different slant on gangster genre, excellent plot and performances Disadvantages: Difficult to get hold of a copy on video or DVD
...1993, is more than just a straightforward gangster movie, dealing with familiar issues in a different way to other films in the genre, such as the ‘Godfather’ trilogy or ‘Goodfellas’. Whereas many gangster flicks rely on the depiction of graphic, bloody violence to get their message across, Chazz Palminteri’s screenplay for this film took a much more understated approach. It is the simple story of the early life of Calogero ... ...The whole film has a down-to-earth quality that makes it seem totally believable – in some gangster movies, you’re never quite convinced that some of the scenes could have taken place, perhaps because the violence and the lifestyle are so far removed from your own, but all the events and the characters’ reactions seem entirely credible here. Young Calogero is an impressionable child, who spends his days sitting on the stoop with ...
JVL 14.01.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of A Bronx Tale (DVD)
Advantages: Characters. Disadvantages: Subplot a little underdeveloped.
..."C", for short, soon witnesses a murder committed by local gangster Sonny (Chazz Palminteri), and is asked to identify the killer by the police. But, he doesn't and Sonny walks free, which prompts a developing relationship between the two, with Sonny treating C as if he was his own son (much to the dismay of C's own Father). A Bronx Tale creates an interesting conflict between two father figures. Lorenzo is the honest, hard-working man who just wants ... ...men. A Bronx Tale, with De Niro as a director, takes obvious inspiration from Goodfellas and Martin Scorsese, in the way that the camera pans around the room to introduce the viewer to each of the characters at the beginning. And because of the emphasis on detail, we grow to love the characters; and in particular, De Niro and Palminteri in the leading roles. You can forgive the film for the parental conflict climaxing without the need for some mindless ...
andycarrington 12.06.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of A Bronx Tale (DVD)
Advantages: some acting Disadvantages: see review!
...in this mob tale with a difference: he’s not the mobster! In this one he plays Lorenzo Anello, a hard-working, law abiding father who does everything he can to stop his son falling in with Sonny LoSpecchio (Chazz Palminteri), the local mob boss. The lure of the mafia is too much for the boy, and Anello soon has to step in.
WAS IT ANY GOOD:
This is De Niro’s first outing as a director, and it suffers from a naivety that seasoned directors wouldn’t ... ...director, the film suffers from a basic-ness that means it is often predictable, and has little depth.
The major problem, for me, is the casting. Any film that has De Niro on board, yet fails to cast him as the mobster, is missing a trick. Yes, I get that he wanted a break, but you just end up spending the whole film thinking ‘De Niro would be better than you Chazz’ (at least I did). Indeed, Palminteri is not the best of actors, and is out-acted ...
bruffyboy 03.03.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of A Bronx Tale (DVD)
Advantages: A superb debut for De Niro Disadvantages: lots of violence
...but his directorial debut was a film called A Bronx Tale. It is the story of a boy who is brought up in the Bronx. His father is a bus driver. The family live in the neighbourhood of a gangster. The father (played by De Niro) does not want the son going near him, but after the son is witness to the gangster murdering someone, but lies to save him from the police, the gangster takes a liking to him. He employs him in his bar, teaches him to gamble ... ...boy falls in love with a coloured woman. This is found as unacceptable, but he continues. When some black people (including his girlfriends brother) are attacked in his road, he tries to protect them. his friend decide to drive down to the black neighbourhood and torch their bar. c, ( the boy in the tale) is draged along, nut the gangster intersepts their car and forces him out telling him never to go with his friends again as they are not worth ...
demongit 25.01.2001 (24.01.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of A Bronx Tale (DVD)
Advantages: Directional Debut by DeNiro, authentic 60s feel, rivals other Mafia classics Disadvantages: Poor DVD release, though it does come with a 16 page booklet
...son along the path of a good and honest life.
It's a fantastic film it has to be said. It all has an authentic 1960s feel, with well picked locations and nostalgic music throughout that really takes you into the time period. The performances are great by Chazz and De Niro. The rest of the cast are mostly newcomers to the acting scene and at times it shows, but they give a natural feel to their acting which fits the films appearence. As with most ... ...violence in other gangster movies, A Bronx Tale is quite tame. There are some obvious similarities to 'Goodfellas', but it's more than just a gangster movie. The film carries some important messages in it which gives it more of a heart. You'll likely be finding yourself relating to some of the themes which run through the story. It's dramatic, moving, funny, violent and realistic. It's a great watch but deserves a much better DVD release than this. ...
Yobbey 30.07.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of A Bronx Tale (DVD)
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Advantages: It was bearable Disadvantages: bad acting, directing, film
Tesco had a DVD sale on a while ago (it may still be going on) and I bought a lot of DVDs of films I've always wanted on DVD for ages (From Hell and A BronxTale) but of course due to the low prices you just buy stuff that you haven't seen before but are willing to waste the money. I'd heard Bram Stoker's The Legend of the Mummy 2 was absolutely terrible but for only £1 there was no way I could say no.
The film is all about 5 students and their professor who are all called it to do something with a new mummy discovery brought in from Mexico or somewhere like that. Apparently it is an Aztec mummy, I personally don't like Aztec mummies they just seem like a cheap version of real mummies from Egypt. If they sold mummies in Tesco you'd have your up market Egyptian fancy coffined lads with their beetle jewels and their curses written out ...
Director Robert De Niro uses mainly non-professional actors to set out the story of a young boy torn between his honest father and a street-smart neighbourhood.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
OPTIMUM HOME ENTERTAINMENT; TECHNICOLOR DISTRIBUTION SERVICES, UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK; UNIVERSAL MUSIC OPERATIONS
Release date
02/10/2006, 30/04/2001
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
OPTD 0224, 078 190 2
Barcode
5060034572541, 0044007819029
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Making of, Trailer
Professional reviews
Review
"...De Niro's direction is generous and thoughtful....A showcase for Chazz Palminteri..." (New York Times, p.C13, 29/09/1993)
"...GOODFELLAS with heart, A BRONX TALE represents a wonderfully vivid snapshot of a colorful place and time, as well as a very satisfying directorial debut by Robert De Niro..." (Variety, 27/09/1993)
DVD Description
Robert DeNiro stars in his directorial debut as Lorenzo Anello, a dutiful father and blue-collar bus driver from the harsh New York City borough of the Bronx whom tries desperately to keep his son Calogero from surrendering to the temptation of organized crime. When Calogero witnesses Mafia kingpin Sonny (Chaz Palminteri) commit murder, he decides to honor the "code of the streets" and offers no information to the cops when interrogated. Consequently, a friendship is forged between Sonny and Calogero, and--against his father's wishes--the young man joins the Mafia. Calogero respects his father, though can not seem to shake his new lifestyle, but when push comes to shove it is his father who must confront the mob and save his son's life, leaving Calogero to re-examine the magnitude of his father's honest work ethics.
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